Short version: Went from a 149 diagnostic to a 157 on the September 2016 LSAT, then 167 on the December 2016 test in 11 months all thanks to 7Sage.

Long version: I'll try to not make this a novel, but I've read every increase story on here and found them all uniquely helpful and motivating so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Before I found 7sage, I took an Oxford Seminars classroom course and found the material quite overwhelming. I worked on some PTs and never saw more than a point increase. Eventually I just gave up on applying to law and cancelled my LSAT registration for December 2014.

I found 7sage last February after doing some research for a different course to try, since I was still so interested in going to law school. This course was my last chance to learn how to beat the LSAT, and I wish I'd found it earlier! I completed the core curriculum and took 16 four section PTs before taking the September test with a 165 PT average on my last 5 tests. Getting my score was brutal, underperformed by 8 points and got a 157. After some reflection I realized test day got to me and that there was more I could do to prepare.

In the two months before taking again in December, I took 13 more PTs and increased my pace from one a week to two a week. I sat the test with a 167 last 5 test average and ended up with a hard-earned 167 as my result.

The three things I did that I felt helped me improve the most were:

1. Taking 5 section PTs. I printed out the September test and redid it as 4 sections and scored 167, so I knew I had a stamina problem. I read somewhere that taking 4 sections was just as good, but that didn't hold true for me. I'd recommend taking 5 sections only as soon as possible, because you don't want to find out on test day that you're one of the people that need it like I did!

2. Learning to plug away at all LG sections. I would often mentally give up halfway through the section if the last two games didn't "click". On the September test I panicked so badly that I left 10 questions blank and scored a dismal 8/23. I was able to gain 10 points in December for an 18/23 by practicing filling in all the bubbles on games I was struggling with, then picking the easiest questions that could be answered with the rules alone or at least eliminate obvious wrong answer choices. The last two games made no sense to me but by elimination and brute forcing I was able to score the points I needed and make some late inferences.

3. Being more strict with dropping the pencil on time. I made sure all answers were at least guessed around the 32 minute mark and working on the ones I thought I had the best chance at getting. This worked well for me on LR especially.

Thoughts on future tests:

I'm out of the game thankfully, but I'd recommend that test takers do all the early logic games (PT 1-10 have some weird ones) to get an edge on the more unusual games that have been appearing. I'd also say that doing and BRing more PTs than I did would probably help as well, since I only did 29 in total.

Finally, thank you to JY and everyone who posts on here!! Lots of people read but don't post like me (until now) and really benefit from all the advice posted. Best of luck to those still on their journey!

Hey guys!

I was wondering if it is possible to increase my score to a 170 or higher if I scored a 145 on my diagnostic. I plan to write the June 2017 LSAT and do not wish to write it again but get it right the first time. I just started studying... Any tips or suggestions?

Hello!

It was about a month ago that I first broke into the 170s on practice tests (sadly, just after taking my December test on which I only managed a 165) where something finally clicked and I started going from -9s to -2s and -3s on LG. It seems like a few hard logic games can really trip me up and bring my score back down, so I'm drilling as many of them as possible until the February test so that they feel as natural as breathing, hopefully.

In the mean time, though, I still miss between 2 and 4 on each logical reasoning section, sometimes losing as many as 8 combined between them! I'd like to figure out how to move forward, but I don't think I'm missing any particular concept. Parallel reasoning is a pain to do, but the questions I seem to miss seem to only fall into one of two categories: 1. I read an easy question incorrectly and missed a point or 2. It's the sort of question where I go back and STILL can't get the right answer. I can always sort of SEE why the correct answer is correct, but I don't usually take away any general principle from the wrong answer other than maybe that a particular word was too strong or something, or some assumption I didn't pick up on.

Can anyone recommend a way to move forward and use this review time wisely? I worry that I can review and review on logical reasoning and never learn the new things I would need to get that 175+ score that I'm hoping might still be possible? Maybe?

(side note: no worries on RC, I only ever missed one or two in that section, even in diagnostics. I'm mostly focused on drilling the heck out of LG and polishing my LR abilities.)

Hi all, I've been studying on and off for the LSAT here and the biggest challenge I've run across is improving my speed. I do okay with accuracy on both LR and RC but can't seem to do it fast enough. Any tips? Thanks mucho!

I just wrote my Yale 250 in 3rd person. Is that weird? It's an argument about the origin of jazz music.

Hopefully it doesnt come to this and I get into the law school I want or one that I am satisfied with, but just out of curiosity too, what is the law school transfer process like? Do you apply with LSAT scores as well? New recommendations or the same old one will work? And what factor is considered the highest?

I recently read an article that said that the most transfer students were those going into Harvard Law School interestingly enough. Not saying I wanna go there but there might be better chances when transferring.

i.e. I just took prep test 10 and was hoping to find video explanations of some of the questions in the first [LR] section

Am I just looking in the wrong place?

Sorry if this is a silly question and I should know this already

Hey guys, I'm just wondering where i indicate that i plan to take the FEB LSAT on my applications. I took the DEC LSAT and got a score I'm fairly happy with. However, i think that i can do better since i had 0 sleep the night before so I'm planning on taking it again in FEB but i want to send in my apps this weekend. Some schools I'm applying to give me the option to indicate whether or not I'm taking the FEB LSAT but others don't so I'm wondering where I can indicate this on my apps? thanks guys

After studying for 1.5 years this frustrating journey has come to an end for me.

Sadly, I don't have any uplifting LSAT stories to tell, since after deciding to delay a year, and studying for an extra year has led to only a mediocre increase from my Dec. '15 LSAT.... which is incredibly frustrating. Maybe it was nerves/test anxiety, maybe it was the testing facility, maybe I'm just really, really bad at taking standardizes tests (most likely this), but I've decided to end my journey here. I gave it hell, and that's all I could do.

I'm posting this to let the people who also did not do well know that this is not the end of the world, and you're not alone. Have a good cry, and pick yourself right back up. Let this be the fuel to your fire.

If you have it in you to delay a year or two and increase your score to your maximum potential, you should absolutely do it and I wish you all the best in the world! Don't let this test beat you down. You are not your score.

Due to various circumstances in my life, I can not delay going to school another year, and am just going to give it my best shot and hope to get into one of my desired schools (hopefully with some scholly).

The 7Sage community really gave me strength and optimism throughout this journey, and I want to thank you all who listened to me, gave me some sound advice, and for your kindness. The kindness and positivity on this Forum is really rare and special. To all you fine people I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you! To all the newcomers on this Forum, stick around, kids. It's worth it.

If you ever need a friend to talk to, have questions about the LSAT, applications, or just need to vent, I've always got an open ear for you! We're all in this together, and we'll come out stronger together.

This is not good bye, but rather thank you and talk to you soon! <3

After my first LSAT I thought I would never go to law school because of my crappy score, but a friend recommended your course and I got started immediately following the June 2016 test. I took the December test recently and raised my score 12 points! Thank you all so much for the time and effort you put in to this program and I am going to recommend it to anyone studying for the LSAT!

Should I apply this cycle? Or should I wait till the next cycle and/or re-take.

I took the December exam and scored within my PT range, although on the lower side of it (worst LG performance in months).

I am committed to applying this cycle and my LSAT score is at the median or 1-2 points below most schools I am applying to.

Is it worth it to sit for the February exam for what would realistically be a 0-3 point improvement,?

My GPA is at or above the median for all schools that I am applying to. Any thoughts appreciated! And congrats to all who took the test!

I have appreciated this community very much. I am grateful for the massive score increase 7sage made possible for me. I feel somewhat disappointed because I scored well below my PT average but I still got a good score and I would not have made nearly the strides I made without @"J.Y. Ping" , @"Dillon A. Wright" and the rest of the gang. I hope I will end up at the same law school as some of you and that we will have a great time being miserable together as 1Ls.

To all of you who are still preparing: Be courageous to take on the tough challenge. It will take you through many lows. Don't stop moving forward. The skills you cultivate will be with you long after the LSAT is gone.

May God bless you greatly,

Jeremy Claridge

I was going to take the Feb 2017 test but after a frustrating attempt where I scored 158 earlier this week, I do not think I would be ready in time for the February test (since I want to be scoring within the mid 160s). This would have been my fourth time testing and I have been studying on and off for the LSAT since October 2013 while doing grad school and working. My undergraduate GPA is 3.72 and I just received my MA in Gender Studies in May 2016. Given that the best score I have on file is a 158 and that this is probably the best I can do, should I apply for this cycle or study for another 5 months for the June test? Also, if I do opt to take the June test instead of the February test, do people recommend working part time while studying, or studying full time?

I'm wondering if anybody else is having issues with their "quick view" feature from the question bank not loading? I use this feature a lot for drilling Logic Games.

Mine had been working all the way up until yesterday and I'm trying to fix this issue ASAP, if anybody can help I'd greatly appreciate it! @"Dillon A. Wright"

I just upgraded from Starter to Ultimate+ and I'm really close to the end of the curriculum. Now a bunch of additional problem sets have appeared (Necessary Assumption has like 20!). I'm curious if those of you who have either upgraded partway through or always had Ultimate+ do all of the problem sets, or are you saving some for review once you start PTing?

This is probably a silly question...but I *may* have a third LOR coming in next week, but will be ready to submit apps by the end of this week. Should I hold until I have that third one ready, or can I submit now and let that come in later?

https://media.giphy.com/media/12bdpEsvl5OEDe/giphy.gif

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/answers/3251000/3251321_1370176028431.35res_200_251.jpg

For anyone who missed it, or for anyone who'd like to sit through it again, this webinar is a new and improved version of my "So I'm done with the curriculum now what" webinar. I wanted to do this one again in order to emphasize that it's not just for people coming right out of the curriculum, it's for anyone who is in the PT phase. Whether you've only just finished the curriculum or whether you've been PTing for a long time, my hope is that there is something here for everyone to use in order to build a deliberate and effective study strategy based on his/her individual performance. We'll be doing one on Monday and another on Wednesday, so I hope everyone can make it!

Post Curriculum Study Strategies

Wed, Jan 11, 2017 8:00 PM EST

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/425746093

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States: +1 (872) 240-3212

Access Code: 425-746-093

First GoToMeeting? Try a test session: http://help.citrix.com/getready

After nervously waiting for my December LSAT results on Tuesday, which were exactly as bad as I expected, I proceeded to drink away my problems with some friends. I had so much alcohol (a third of a bottle of whiskey and about 8-10 shots of Tito's vodka) that my best friend annihilated me in FIFA 6-0, after which I puked on myself and his sofa mid-nap. I managed to drunkenly stumble my way home at 2am.

I woke up six hours later, vommed my brains out some more, and had to take the day off from work because of "food poisoning." I spent the entire day curled up in pain shirtless on the floor of my bathroom, utterly unable to shake off the worst hangover of my life.

I share this story to assure you that no matter how disappointing your LSAT score was, it could always be worse - at least you didn't publicly and privately humiliate yourself immediately after finding it out! So here's to attaining glory, redemption, and a social life in June.

I just made the decision to take the Feb LSAT and apply to the University of Nebraska (I live locally and don't want to move, plus tuition is $15,000/year.)

My diagnostic score was 145. UNL's median LSAT score is 158, so I'm shooting for anything above that. Is this doable in a month? I'm not working so I can study as much as I need to.

Thanks.

Hey all!

If anyone has received accommodations on the LSAT, would you send me a PM (if that isn't too much to ask!).... I have a couple of quick Q's:)

I was working 50 hours a week, while preparing for the test. Not a very high score, but it's enough to get me in where I want to go. With the help of lsat I was able to improve 12 points from my PTs. Thanks to 7Sage and thanks you guys!

The dude abides.

Dude

Hi, I am looking to take the LSAT in June of 2017 and want to start studying now. I have already took the June 2007 diagnostic test and scored a 157. I wish to score in the mid 170's and intend to dedicate significant time towards this. Any tips? My weakest point on the diagnostic was LR- just fyi.

This was my first LSAT, my goal was 175, I ended up getting 177, and I am beyond happy! I couldn't have done it without 7sage's LG guides.

For people who are curious, my diagnostic was somewhere around 162-166, timed. My worst section at first by far was LG.

I studied intensely around 1.5 to 2 months, took a 1 month break, then spent 1 month doing a few practice tests a week. Prior to the test, my PT score average was around 175.

To study, I used the LSAT Trainer and 7sage for LG. I later also bought ACE The LSAT Logic Games book for practice (I didn't use the techniques, I just did the games for warmup and practice). I started with the LSAT Trainer techniques, then changed my LG techniques to 7sage's after.

Also, the Blind Review sessions hosted by JY are invaluable. Make sure you go to those for at least one practice test; I went to almost all the sessions for PT 78, and it helped so much even though it was right before the actual test date. I didn't realize how little I understood about each answer choice until I had to explain it to other people.

Thanks again 7sage, you guys are the best, and you probably helped me get into my dream law school!

I know, I know, another cheesy THX7SAGE post. BUT! I want to share my story since I'm NOT one of the people aiming to get into a T14 school, to let you know that it is okay to be THRILLED with less than a 170 (no offense to everyone who worked their booty patooty off to get to a 170, hat's off to you, seriously). Here goes....

Last May, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. I bought a GIANT Kaplan book and began reading it during my lunch breaks. I remember thinking to myself, "Gosh almighty, this book is boring, and large, but if I can just get through it the LSAT will be mine!!!" I sporadically studied during the summer. In August, I got called to go with the Red Cross down to Louisiana to help with the flood relief for 2 weeks. I still had approx. 1/3 of the book left, and the September test was fast approaching. I brought the book with me hoping to study, but with 12 hour days and staying in a staff shelter sleeping on cots, there wasn't any 'quiet' time to do so. I returned home with the same amount of the book left and only 2 weeks to the test. I forced myself to finish the book and thought that was it!! And.....I sat for the September test and made a 153.

I honestly thought that it was a good score (it certainly isn't horrible), but went to talk to a professor at my school of choice who advised me to re-take in December to get at least a 157 to truly be competitive. So, I did a bunch of online research and found 7sage (Almost fell for the $1,000+ Kaplan online course LOL). I studied as much as I could. During this time, I was also working 40+ hours a week, and several personal things were going on that sometimes made it hard to concentrate, and made me want to give up entirely. But, I did not. And here I am to tell you that in December I got a 159. I am competitive for my school. And I am thrilled.

So, new 7sagers, here's to you. If I can improve by 6 points in the most stressful months of my life, working 40+ a week, you can too. If you have more than 3 months, are not working 40+ a week, and are not stressed, just IMAGINE the possibilities! Everyone is different and learns at a different rate, but keep at it. Work the program (now I sound like I'm at AA lol). I believe in you, you are in an incredibly supportive community, and most importantly, you are capable.

Much love, and so THANKFUL to be done with this test!! (One day you'll be done, too!)